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G. 0, GRIDLEY. ANTIFRICTION BEARING,

10,595,060 Patented Dec. 7, .1897.

NVENTUR:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE O. GRIDLEY, OF SPRINGFIELD,MASSACHUSETTS.

ANTIFRIGTION-BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,060, dated December '7, 1897.

i Application led January 25, 1897. Serial No. 620,515. (No model.)

' To all whom it may concern.:

.Be-it knownthat l, GEORGE O. GRIDLEY, of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Antifriction- Bearings, of which'the following is a specification. l v

This invention relates particularly to bearings for hubs of bicycle-wheels, although it l5 v u ing tracks, the balls running on an external track on the inclosed member andan internal may be embodied in any bearing which comprises two members, one of which is inclosedA and is analogousto a shaft or axle, while the other isthe inclosing member and is analogous to a hub, the two members being separated by a series o'fl ballsv running on coincidv* track on,the inclosing member.

` The inventipn has forits object toenable the balls tp run with the minimum of fric- .tional resistance and slip and'without the wedging or cross-rolling pressure'to .which the weight-supporting balls of ordinary ballbearings are subjected. .25

l The invention also has for its object to -provide'certain improvements relating to the'construction of bicycle-wheel hubs and dustguards therefor. .p

Theinvention'consists in the improvements which Iwill now proceed todescribe and Of the-accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l represents a longitudinalsection of a bicycle-wheel hub and its axle in which my improvements are embodied. Fig. 2 represents a detail View. of

one set of the thrust-supporting balls and the cage supporting thesame.

, 545, said balls bearing on an external track on The same letters of -reference lndicate the Same `parts in .both figures.

Referring first to Fig. 1,0. represents the i Y ixed,'axle, on which the-hub' b of a bicyclef- V-wheel rotates.,

c c represent the usual' weight-supporting balls interposed between the axleand hub,

the axle and aninternal track on the hub.

collectively forming a' v -shaped or grooved Vof a ring e, inserted ina chamber or cavity .formed for its reception in'the hub b. The* and secure it in position.

, another substituted for it.

-may be attained byallowing the cones to -of one or both when it is desired to effect a minimum. Thecylindrical surface bears only finternal track may, however,` be an integral part of the hub instead of being formed by 5 an inserted ring. j' The inner collar or cone d is securedor backed against inward movement on t-he shaft, preferably by a ring 71 ,backed by a shoulder g on `the axle a. The f outer vcollar or cone d is movable inwardly toward the inner cone to adapt the cones to thediameter of the-balls, an adjusting collar. ornut q, engaged with a screw-thread on the axle, serving to move the outer cone inwardly Provision is thus made for compensating for wear of the cones, I'

the collars or cones' d d being-set up as they become' worn. To prevent such excessive inward movementof the outer cone as wouldr bind the balls between the tracks, I provide a stop to limit the inward1 movement of the outer cone. The stop is here lshown as la loose ring m, 'interposed between the two cones, said ring being interchangeable with other rings of greater or less width, so that 7 whenever it is necessary to ee'ct a readjustment the ring may be reduced in width or.

The same result bear lon' each other andl grinding off the end readjustment or by making the ring m of a series of thin *layers separable from each other, a greater or less number of said layers being employed according to the adjustnient desired.. The internal or opposite track e presents a cylindrical surfaceto the balls c,

said surface being flat in cross-section, so that its contact with, the balls is reduced to the o n the outer portions of'the balls at points eguidistant from their points of bearing on the collars d d, so that the stress or pressure to which each ball is subjected is through its center. Hence there is no such wedging or cross-rollingl pressure on the balls as would be the case if 'one of the tracks were a cup and the other a cone, the two being relatively arranged,`as usual, in bearings in which the same-balls sustain both the weight 'and the I end thrust.

The cylindrical and 'grooved tracks above described do not provide sufficiently for thel support of end thrust, and I havetherefore provided antifrictional end-thrust bearings, -1 the preferred construction of lwhich will next be described. I

ff represent outwardly-projectinganges afxed to the axle a adjacent to the balls C,

said flanges being annular and preferably secured to the axle by being placed thereon between the -inner conical collars d and'the rings or collars h.

e' 'i represent inwardly-projecting flanges affixed to the hub b and arranged between the fianges ff, the said flanges 2'. 'i projecting inwardly sulliciently to l'orm faces or bearings opposing the bearings presented by the flanges f f. The flanges and f present flat ball-supporting faces which a-re in planes at right angles to the axis of rotation.

jj represent thrust-supportingballs which are interposed between the flanges fr', there being .two series of balls j. Said balls may be kept in place between the flanges f t' by means of ball-cages k, formed as arms radiating from a central hub and having cavitiesv to receive the balls and permit the balls to project from opposite sides of the arms.

It will be seen that the flanges f t and balls .7' are arranged to prevent endwise movement of the hub b in either direction and that the flat faces of the flanges give each ball j but two points of contact, so that friction between the balls and flanges is reduced to the minimum. It will also be seen that the conjoint Vuse of the antifriction thrust-bearings, the

cylindrical ball-tracks, and the adjustable grooved ball-tracks reduces the frictionalresis-tance to the rotation of the hub to the inin'- mum, the thrust-bearings enabling the liub to run without endwise displacement and entirely relieving the balls c of the dutyv of resisting end thrust. It is obvious Vthat the grooved adjustable track may be applied to the external member an d'the cylindrical track to the internal member without departing from the spirit of my invention.A

The distance between the flanges f and t' may be adjusted by varying the width of the rings 7a, said rings, together with the flanges f and collars (l d, being detachably mounted upon the axle d, so that they can be readily removed.

o o represent dust-guards, which are thin annular plates formed to be placed upon the outer portionsuof the axle a and fill the ends of thelhub. Said dust-guards, as well as the collars (Z d, fianges j", and rings 7L, are secured l in place upon the axle by means of adjustable clamping members, which may be the nuts q q, the outer collars d constituting complemental clamping members between which and the nuts q the dust-guards are grasped. The axle a and hub b constitutetwo members of a bearing, the axle being the inclosed member and thefhub the inclosing member- It is obvious that the inclosed member may rotate inthe inclosing member, the latter being fixed. Hence my invention may be embodied in a crank-shaft and its hanger.

The flange f, inner conical collar CZ, and ring h may be made in a vsingle piece, if desired.l

The cylindrical track e is adapted to bear -on the balls c with equal effect at any part of its width. Hence the operativel relation" of the ball-tracksand balls is notaffected by a movement of either part lengthwise of `the axle a.

It will be seen, therefore, that any lateral displacement'of the balls that may be caused by the adjustment of one collar d toward the other to compensate for wear or an independent longitudinal adjustment of either member' relatively to the other will have no detrimental effect.

l claiml. A bearing of tire character specified, comprisin g an inclosing member, an inclosed member concentric therewith, two sets of balltracks adjacent to the ends of said members and including means for adjusting the balls radially,thrust-abntments between said members and betweenthe two sets of ball-tracks, and thrust-supporting balls interposed between said abutments.

2'. A bearing of the character specified, comprising` an inclosing member, an inclosed member concentric'therewith, a grooved balltrack on one of said members consisting of two concal collars one being'adapted to be moved toward'the other to take up wear, a

cylindrical ball-track on the other member, balls interposed between said tracks,-thrust abutments between said members, having faces arranged at right angles to the axis of rotation, and thrust-supporting balls between said abutments, a dust-guardv consisting of thin plate bearing against the movable collar and fitting and movable within the outer end of the inclosing member, and means for pressing the center of the d ust-guard against the said movable collar.

3. A bearing ofthe character specified,Y comprising an inclosing member, an inclosed member concentric therewith, a grooved track on one of said membersconsisting of two conical eollars one being adapted to be moved toward the other to take up wear, a cylin-a drical track on-the other member, balls interposed between said tracks, two pairs of thrust-abutments, one abutment of each pair being affixed-to the inclosing member, and the other to the'inclosed member, each abutment presenting a ball-supporting face whichis in a plane at right angles to the axis of rotation, thrust-supporting balls interposed between said abutments, a dust-guard consisting of a thin platel bearing` against the movable collar, and movable within the outer end of the inclosing member, and means for pressing the' center of the dust-guard against thesaid movable collar. i

In testimony whereof-I have signed* my IOS name to this specificatiomin the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this December, A. D. 1896. j l GEORGE o. calmar. `Witnesses:

' VA. W. -DoUnLEniug 'p yl. II. OUnMINcs.

15th day of 

